"This recipe was a gift from a lovely old lady to a 10-year-old in 1960," Kathleen Van Sistine, De Pere, states in her email typed in large black letters. "Mrs. Larson and her husband had immigrated from the old country. Her husband and my father were friends, often sharing a beer after work at a corner tavern. My Dad brought home a large platter of the most wonderful cookies that year. He was not a man who liked sweets very much, but there was one cookie that became an instant favorite ... the cranberry cookie. She (Mrs. Larson) very generously not only shared the recipe but spent a Saturday showing this fledgling baker how to assemble it."

Not only did the story catch my eye, but the recipe met all the qualities I look for when getting our submissions down to a reasonable amount to pass along to the culinary arts program at Fox Valley Technical College for our annual contest. They, not I, have final say in the recipes selected each year.

I was please to see this recipe make the cut.

This year I invited recipe submitter finalists to join us at FVTC for the baking, photo shoot and tasting of this year's batch.

Van Sistine was one of five finalists who chose to join us.

At my nudging she retold the story and added a few details. After mastering this cookie under Larson's tutoring, she would make this cookie for her dad every year around Christmas. Furthermore, she says her dad was a generous man in all regards, except for this particular cookie. These he would hide for himself.

While we didn't have a formal winner this year, everyone at the cookie tasting agreed that these cranberry filled cookies were at the top of their yum list. They are tart and sweet with a soft filling and cookie crunch, it's a party of flavor and textures in every bite.

"It is putzy but so worth the effort," Van Sistine concluded in her email submission. "I am happy to share and offer your students a little cookie magic."

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, just until set. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling wire rack.

Finish maple drizzle icing by whisking in powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy. When cookies are cooled completely, use a spoon to drizzle icing on cookies. Immediately sprinkle a pinch of toffee bits on icing.

Recipe from Maria and Jennifer Ganser

Wisconsin Cranberry Swirl Cookies

Dough

½ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Filling

½ cup cranberries, finely ground

½ cup walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Additional ingredients

2 teaspoon milk

3 tablespoon brown sugar

Green colored sugar (optional)

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla and mix. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In another medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed to beat butter, brown sugar, honey and remaining sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes; add egg, egg yolk and lemon zest and mix until very pale, about 4 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture. Mix until no dry spots remain. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in white chocolate.

Pat dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.